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The NFL’s fourth preseason games are the antithesis of must-see TV, but there’s at least one compelling reason to tune in when the 49ers visit the Texans on Thursday: Aaron Lynch.

In the three-plus months since he was drafted in the fifth round, the 49ers outside linebacker has offered evidence that he possess A) some serious work-ethic issues and B) some serious talent.

For starters, the bad stuff.

Lynch arrived in Santa Clara in May out of shape. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has welcomed rookies who aren’t in top physical condition after traveling the country making pre-draft visits, but Lynch’s lack of physical fitness was “to the extreme” in his estimation. How extreme? Consider: Lynch pulled both hamstrings simultaneously in June when he was running to cover a kickoff.

The injury sidelined Lynch for the early part of training camp and only added to concerns about his commitment. In the moments after he was drafted, his strength and conditioning coach at South Florida, Hans Straub, blasted the 49ers’ selection via Twitter.

“Thought an organization with 5 Super Bowl titles would have a stricter draft criteria,” Straub said. “Clearly, integrity & character are not a priority.”

The red flags surrounding Lynch, who transferred from Notre Dame after his freshman season, caused him to the tumble to the fifth round despite early round ability. Given Lynch’s background, Fangio was asked if he had early misgivings when the rookie didn’t report ready to work.

“Whatever happened in the past happened,” Fangio said. “That’s why they got drafted where they were. Then we take over from there. He has made good progress here. He’s been diligent, probably, what little I know about his past, more diligent than he’s ever been. Hopefully, he can continue on the upward trend here.”

After two quiet preseason games – he only played on special teams in the opener — Lynch certainly ascended in last week’s 21-7 over San Diego. In 32 snaps, he had three tackles, a sack, deflected two passes, one which led to an interception, and added a quarterback hit.

It was the type of performance that made Lynch a Freshman All-American at Notre Dame before he ended his career in relative obscurity. On KNBR, Jim Harbaugh acknowledged Lynch’s play has been “eye-popping, at times,” but quickly tempered his praise.

The reason for that is obvious: Lynch has yet to prove he has the tenacity to match his talent.

“You strive for consistency,” Harbaugh said. “We’re not there yet. He would be thinking small if he just settled for just making the team. I think he can be a real fine football player. And just keep going. Keep coming. Keep after it and don’t be that word – ‘satisfied’ — that has no place in football. I think if he takes that approach he’s going to be a heck of a player.”

Similarly, Fangio said Lynch needs to keep “maturing” and “become a pro,” which, again, points to his work-in-progress status. It remains to be seen if Lynch will have a role when outside linebacker Aldon Smith serves a yet-to-be-announced suspension to open the regular season.

In Fangio’s mind, there’s a good chance Corey Lemonier and Dan Skuta will combine to assume Smith’s duties, as they did in 2013 when Smith missed five games. But Lynch could make a bid for meaningful regular-season action with another eye-popping performance Thursday against the Texans.

It’s clear he possesses NFL ability, but he’s learning from veterans that talent alone won’t be enough to succeed.

“In being a pro you’ve got to have good habits,” Lynch said. “You can’t go out there in practice and be lazy. That’s what I’ve really caught onto watching the older guys: Justin Smith, Patrick Willis, Aldon, Ahmad (Brooks), Ray (McDonald). They all work hard during practice. Nobody takes a day off, really.”